Parenting style and leisure activities

Parenting style and leisure activities (playing with other children) influence a child's social development.

Explain why some people may think that peer influence (interacting with other children) may have just as much as or more influence than parenting.

Could this be actually true?

Why or why not? Provide a rationale for your answer.

Describe the FOUR different types of parenting styles and explain which style would allow more influence from a child's peers.

Solution Preview

Authoritarian parents establish strict rules and enforce punishments if the rules are broken. The logic and reasons for the rules and punishment are not explained to the child. Blind adherence to the rules of the household is expected, characterized by a lack of responsiveness from parent to child.

Authoritative parents also establish rules in a household, but provide the reasons and explanations for these rules to their children. The goal is for the children to understand the meaning behind the rules, and autonomously decide to follow them. Standards of behavior are expected, but authoritative parents are more forgiving of children when they make mistakes. Consequences for breaking rules are supportive of the child's growth rather than purely punitive in nature.